98275. Estes Advocates Space Partnerships

By Douglas J. Gillert

American Forces Press Service



	COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- U.S. military space programs 

must converge with civil, commercial and allied space 

efforts, DoD's top space commander said here recently.

	Air Force Gen. Howell M. Estes III, commander in chief 

of U.S. Space Command, spoke at the National Space Symposium 

to more than 1,000 representatives of governments, 

organizations and companies that deal with space.  

Partnerships with civil and commercial space agencies, he 

said, will enable DoD to maintain its space programs more 

efficiently and affordably.

	Space is becoming increasingly vital to America's 

economic and military strength, he said, and global 

partnerships are at the core of his command's long-range 

plan. Estes said the benefits of such partnerships include 

sharing technology garnered from large military investments 

in space research and development, merging military 

investments in worldwide space infrastructures, and 

understanding military space trends and future requirements.

	"A significant inducement to partnering is the 

financial incentive of the work itself," Estes said. 

Partners, he said, gain access to far more resources than 

they could afford individually. Sharing resources also will 

help nations and military organizations adjust to the 

Information Age. Transition to information-based weapon 

systems, strategies and doctrines "is and will continue to 

be a traumatic transition for a host of reasons, not the 

least of which is cost," Estes said.

	The success the military is having at developing new 

weapon systems comes at the cost of a significantly reduced 

force structure, the general said. Such cuts will be 

justified, he said, if investments in space-based 

information technology "provide such dramatic increases in 

battle management; command, control, computers and 

communications; and intelligence surveillance and 

reconnaissance, so as to render the smaller force structure 

far more effective than the larger force structure of the 

past."

	But even though DoD is cutting force structure, it 

hasn't come up with the funds necessary to invest in new 

technologies to offset the decreased force, Estes said. 

"There is a large and growing possibility that these gains 

will not be realized unless more funding is made available 

to the military. Therefore, the importance of military space 

partnerships becomes even greater.

	"The smaller military force of the future will require 

information systems -- many of them space-based -- which do 

not yet exist and are not yet funded," Estes said. "One of 

the few avenues the military has to meet these Information 

Age requirements and make the most efficient use of every 

single dollar spent is through partnerships. The military 

and its partners can leverage each other's investments in 

infrastructure, research and development." 

	A common conceptual foundation is required to make 

these partnerships work, the general said. He outlined four 

keys for successful partnering:

	o Ensuring a single operational focal point, presenting 

one voice to the world for U.S. military space;

	o Distinguishing between core and noncore military 

space activities;

	o Developing an integrated systems approach to space 

issues; and 

	o Shaping the space environment.

	Estes said the first concept is key to ensuring a 

streamlined decision-making process across institutional 

boundaries. "A strong military focal point could help break 

the deadlock on strategic issues," Estes said. The general 

announced that he has, in fact, been assigned the bulk of 

space-related responsibilities of regional commanders in 

chief. 

	"CinCSpace has been designated as the single focal 

point for military space," Estes said. "That's a huge change 

in the way we've done business in the past."

	Concerning core and noncore capabilities, Estes said 

the former have to do with operating military space forces 

during crises and war. They aren't likely candidates for 

partnering, he said. On the other hand, many noncore 

capabilities, such as satellite communications and launch 

services, are good candidates for outsourcing and 

privatization, the general said.

	Space Command's principal objective in filling the lead 

military space role and identifying partnering candidates is 

to develop an integrated systems approach, he said. Such an 

approach would result in huge savings, and his command can 

help partners consolidate missions from an integrated 

systems perspective, he said. 

	Systems integration is partially what's happening in 

the future imagery architecture and military satellite 

communications, Estes said. "U.S. Space Command is playing a 

leading role in these efforts to ensure the needs of the war 

fighters and our nation at large are being met."

	To make all these plans work, Estes said, DoD and its 

partners must shape the space environment. This requires 

neutral defenses for all space-faring nations for their 

mutual benefit, he said. "This mutual dependence should 

deter aggression and foster [positive] relationships. 

However, based on historical precedence, development of 

enforcement policies and the means of ensuring enforcement 

may become necessary."

	Like air and sea power of the past, increasing 

dependency on peaceful access to space may require military 

policing, Estes said. "Regardless, the more nations 

cooperate in peaceful sharing of space resources, the less 

chance the world will ever need the means of enforcing the 

use of space. [But] it is likely in the future that the U.S. 

Space Command will need to have options to respond to anyone 

attempting to deny us access to space."

	Estes concluded his talk by comparing partnerships in 

space to marriage. "A great partnership is only the 

beginning," he said. "A relationship will take a lot of 

work."



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